Abstract
Violence victimization is a key threat to adolescents’ well-being in urban slums in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined the association between violence victimization and aspiration–expectations disjunction using cross-sectional data from 2360 girls aged 11–15 years in a slum settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to assess the association between violence victimization and aspirations–expectations disjunction, a measure of the difference between aspirations and expectations for achieving them. One-third (n = 798) of girls had experienced at least one form of violence. At bivariate and multivariate level, violence victimization was significantly associated with higher aspirations–expectations disjunction but not with aspirations, suggesting that girls who had experienced violence had lower expectations for achieving aspirations. Results imply that girls who experience violence may lose hope in their future. Interventions to screen girls for violence victimization and enable positive coping may be critical.
Highlights
Violence is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide for people aged 15–44 years (Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, & Lozano, 2002) and young people aged 10–24 years (Mokdad et al, 2016)
Holt and colleagues (2007) found three types of distinct victimization profiles among urban students in the United States: those with minimal victimization, those victimized primarily by their peers, and those experiencing multiple types of victimization. They found that young people who were faced with multiple victimizations were more likely to experience psychological distress and to have lower academic performance compared to their peers
We examine the association between violence victimization and aspiration–expectations disjunction among early adolescent girls aged 11–15 years in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city.We hypothesize that exposure to violence influences adolescents’general life aspirations and expectations by increasing feelings of hopelessness and limited life prospects
Summary
Violence is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide for people aged 15–44 years (Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, & Lozano, 2002) and young people aged 10–24 years (Mokdad et al, 2016). Holt and colleagues (2007) found three types of distinct victimization profiles among urban students in the United States: those with minimal victimization, those victimized primarily by their peers, and those experiencing multiple types of victimization. They found that young people who were faced with multiple victimizations were more likely to experience psychological distress and to have lower academic performance compared to their peers. Brown and colleagues (2008) estimated the p revalence of exposure to bullying among students in eight African countries, including Kenya, and its effects on health during childhood. The estimated prevalence of bullying on at least one day during the 30 days
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